Hu'ut
The Hu'ut are a people dwelling primarily along the banks of the River Had, near the center of the known world. One of the most ancient cultures on historical record, the Hu'ut were among the greatest builders of the ancient world, founding the city of Hiuttu quite early on, and constructing the vast Hu'ut Empire. More unfortunately, they were also infamous as one of the greatest slave-trading and using cultures in the cradle of civilization; a culture that led to the flight of the rebellious slaves who would become Farou, and to numerous wars and an eventual defeat by that people. In time, they would come to be ruled by the Kothari Exatai. Culture Anciently, Hu'ut culture was authoritarian to an almost frightening degree degree. Slavery is the biggest example, of course, but central authority is traditional, and even the most minor of affairs was frequently the purview of the Emperor himself. The throne was inherited by primogeniture. Faronun influence was heavy, especially after their conquest of Hu'ut and the introduction of the Faeoria system there. During the period of their rule, Hu'ut started to adopt many of the traditional Faronun forms of drama and music, and even produced philosophers and mathematicians of their own. This declined somewhat during the period of turmoil at the end of Helsian rule, but the Kothari Redeemers were quite keen to sponsor the new sciences -- even if they were dominated by non-Satar. Religion Except for the emperors themselves, the priests were the most powerful members of Hu'ut society. Though they owned nothing, they were able to pass a death sentence on whomever they might please. Despite their massive power over society, the Hu'ut religion seems to have aroused surprisingly little interest in writers on the nation. The cults of Magio and Dha are well known to have existed, of course, but remain little understood, especially as they were driven underground in more recent times. Each of them believe in the creator Hu'atbka, who created humans, cleansing them with water and making them walk. Eventually they arrived in their current location. The Dha believe the creator had a twin, Hu'shebkawtba. His role remains unclear, but it appears to have maintained a slightly darker character. Though perhaps it is inevitable, as the main perspective we have is from the Magio, it seems that the Dha had strange fascinations with death and destruction. By the fourth century SR, Hu'ut had converted almost entirely to the new, growing dualistic religion of Iralliam. Some pockets of the native religion survived for a surprisingly long time, but the conversion even of their new Satar overlords ensured Iralliam's supremacy -- and certainly its primacy, as the native faith came to be heavily persecuted. Language The Hu'ut language is difficult for foreigners to master. Though it has no unusual pronunciation quirks, it is said at a speed that astonishes any but a native speaker, with nearly four syllables said at the rate that a single one might be in another language. Category:Cultures Category:Hu'ut